Scandal-hit Brazilian leader, Temer picks new justice minister

The change in Ministry of Justice command, caught many by surprise. Osmar Serraglio stated that he would be the last person to leave the team of President Michel Temer. Mr. Serraglio joined politics in 1978 in the old MDB and followed when the party became PMDB in 1981. Serraglio is a lawyer graduated in 1971 from the Faculty of Law of Curitiba and became a master in Law of the State by PUC-SP in 1986.

The note released by the Planalto Palace to announce the change of the Minister of Justice was considered “inelegant” by people close to Serraglio. The text did not make it clear that he would take over another cabinet cabinet. “It seemed like a resignation,” said one member of his team, requiring anonymity.

The Temer Administration announced today, Sunday May 28, that Torquato Jardim will take charge of Justice, without clarifying who would take over the Ministry of Transparency, nor what would Serraglio’s fate be. At 3:18 pm, the Planalto press office denied to UOL that there would be an exchange of posts in the ministries; About 15 minutes later, he went back and confirmed Serraglio’s departure for Transparency’s portfolio. The whole episode demonstrates a scenario of uncertainty and a “headbanging” in the Temer government team.

“The President of the Republic decided to appoint Professor Torquato Jardim to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security this afternoon. In announcing the name of the new Minister, President Michel Temer expressed his gratitude to the efforts and work done by Mr. Serraglio to In front of the Ministry, whose collaboration it intends to count on from now on in other activities in favor of Brazil, “says the note sent by the press office of the Planalto.

Throughout the crisis involving Temer, Serraglio would have participated in conversations about the defense strategy of Temer. On Thursday (25), he met with STF Minister Edson Fachin, the investigative reporter who has Temer as his target. Serraglio was so confident that he would remain in the position that until Saturday night (27) he would talk to his team about tasks linked to the Ministry of Justice.

Closely related to ex-deputy Eduardo Cunha, who was imprisoned in Curitiba, Serraglio was quoted in “Weak Flesh Operation”, which was set off in March by the Federal Police, which investigates the payment of bribes by the slaughterhouses to agricultural inspectors.

A telephone call was intercepted between the minister and Daniel Gonçalves Filho, agricultural inspector and superintendent of the Ministry of Agriculture in Paraná between 2007 and 2016. According to PF, Gonçalves Filho was “the leader of the criminal organization” that acted in the organ.

Serraglio would have tried to interfere in favor of a company. Subordinated to the Ministry of Justice, the PF, however, said that it saw no evidence of illegality in the conduct of the minister.